435: There is still medicine for regret

After changing into the Space City uniform, Qiu Wuhui pulled Tian Ming and said, "Boss, please give me face, I'm treating you to a meal!"

"Aren't you a robot? What kind of meal? Are you trying to treat me to batteries?" Tian Ming was a bit puzzled.

"I've been upgraded, got an artificial stomach. I can eat what normal people eat," Qiu Wuhui said with a smile.

"Alright, it's rare that I have nothing to do right now!" Tian Ming nodded slightly, agreeing.

There weren't many restaurants in Space City, and none of them were cheap. Only those with jobs could afford to eat there.

Most people preferred synthetic food, which was cheaper. These synthetic foods were like eating toothpaste; while they lacked flavor, they could satisfy people's energy and nutritional needs.

The two arrived at a restaurant, and Qiu Wuhui skillfully ordered some dishes.

"Boss, you disappeared for twenty years. Do you still remember that abandoned steel factory? Who would have thought we could establish ourselves in space!" Qiu Wuhui said with some emotion.

"Wuhui, you're a bit strange? What, have you changed your ways these past twenty years?" Tian Ming said half-jokingly.

Qiu Wuhui smiled and waved his hand, then stood up and poured Tian Ming a glass of wine.

"Boss, I know there's no going back in this world. Back then, I thought the zombie proliferation would lead the base into a prolonged war. At that time, choosing nano-modification was undoubtedly the most correct decision. But now..."

"Now you regret it and want to change back to a human?" Tian Ming asked.

"Yes, I do. Nano-modification technology is very mature now. The first batch of people who were modified all have some psychological issues because many pleasures are gone. Even when the nano-body is damaged, the simulated pain sensation is automatically blocked."

Tian Ming smiled calmly and said, "Since you want to become a normal person, then just become a normal person."

As Tian Ming spoke, Qiu Wuhui's nano-body slowly began to transform, the skin on his hands turning flesh-colored, though Qiu Wuhui seemed unaware.

"I asked, and the experts at the Energy Research Institute said that reversal isn't impossible. It's just a matter of creating a clone and then transferring my consciousness into it. But clones have some defects, like a shorter lifespan. The Space Administration doesn't allow research on this, considering it unethical."

As Qiu Wuhui spoke, he took a sip of wine. The spicy sensation rushed straight to his nose, making him cough violently.

Tian Ming smiled and offered a tissue, saying, "Why drink so fast? This is high-proof liquor."

"With my artificial stomach, let alone high-proof liquor, I can even drink freshly boiled water without issue," Qiu Wuhui said, then directly picked up a nearby kettle, poured a glass of water, and as he lifted it, he frowned.

Nano-bodies have an adaptive feature: sensations exceeding a certain damage threshold are reduced. Water at ten degrees feels like ten degrees, but for water at one hundred degrees, the nano-body will adjust the sensation down to a level the consciousness can tolerate. This adaptation prevents nano-modified warriors from feeling intense pain.

When he saw the bulging veins on his hand, Qiu Wuhui froze for a moment, then bit directly into the back of his own hand. Red blood flowed out, and Qiu Wuhui, ignoring the pain, stood still.

Tian Ming calmly took a sip of wine and said, "There are still ways to go back. As for me, there's no going back."

Qiu Wuhui was too surprised to speak. He was stunned for a long time before he recovered.

"Boss, can you control living organisms now?"

"Anything that exists in this universe is now under my control. However, this is a one-time thing; don't go trying any more nano-modifications later."

"Of course, of course," Qiu Wuhui nodded repeatedly.

The meal lasted about an hour. Qiu Wuhui hadn't experienced the feeling of drunkenness in a long time. He enjoyed himself thoroughly, while Tian Ming watched him quietly from the side, a faint smile always on his face.

"Boss, I've become a normal person. I might not be able to serve you anymore. Any random robot can easily beat me."

Tian Ming shook his head and said, "The body I gave you is a superhuman body, but it's a bit weaker than your sister's. Whenever you feel like dying, just find a star, or a neutron star, and jump right in."

Qiu Wuhui waved his hand and said, "No, I won't. How could I want to die? From now on, I, Qiu Wuhui, will follow Boss until the end of time, until the universe explodes."

Tian Ming smiled and said nothing.

"Boss, give me ten large kidneys, not synthetic ones, the kind that smells strong!" Inside the restaurant, several men in light armor walked in from outside.

Their voices were loud, drawing glances from the surrounding diners. Qiu Wuhui looked at them, quickly sat down, and said, "They are members of the Solar Power Field Maintenance Team, they receive special treatment."

Tian Ming nodded and said, "These things can just be handled by robots."

Qiu Wuhui sneered, "These brutes, ten years ago when deep-space robots were insufficient, people went up to repair and maintain them. Later, when production caught up, they were offered retirement, but they refused and insisted on working. Space City has many types of jobs, and there have been several protests, so later all of them were retained, with about thirty percent of front-line workers kept for each position."

"Oh, isn't that Team Leader Qiu? Did you just get back from mining?" A man, one meter eighty tall, walked over and approached Qiu Wuhui's table.

When he saw Tian Ming was also there, there was no panic on his face. Instead, he pulled up a stool and sat down self-importantly. This man was at least forty years old, and he was one of those who had migrated up, not born in Space City. To say he didn't know Lu Tianming would certainly be impossible.

"Boss is here, aren't you going to say hello?" Qiu Wuhui said to the man with some displeasure.

The man turned his head and perfunctorily said to Tian Ming, "Hello, Boss!"

Tian Ming didn't mind, just nodded slightly in response.

Unexpectedly, the man said, "See, I know Boss, but Boss doesn't know me."

Qiu Wuhui was about to retort, but Tian Ming spoke instead: "Hu Xiao, male, 45 years old, Second-Class Ability User, Rebel Army informant, captain of the Space City Solar Power Field Human Maintenance Team. He has a consciousness amplification electrode in his brain, participated in the zombie clearing war, his left eyeball was injured and damaged, and was replaced by a mechanical eyeball by Tianquan. He is fearless, likes women's underwear, and his personal device contains many adult film teachers, they have..."

"Stop, stop..."

Hu Xiao's face showed an awkward expression, and he coughed a few times. Fearless he might be, but he still needed to save face.

"Since you know I'm a Rebel Army member, why don't you arrest me, or just kill me?"

"Your fearlessness is real, killing you is useless. Besides, your being an informant, sending messages to Tianquan by reflecting light flashes at the solar power field, doesn't constitute a major crime."

"This, you know this too?"